https://brianstout.journoportfolio.comRSS Feed for Brian StoutenWed, 02 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0100https://media.journoportfolio.com/users/520164/uploads/b3f29826-e9a3-4660-bc62-725e05d61260.pdfA new group of authors is taking a clear-eyed look at the hidden costs of unflappable optimism and positive thinking.Wed, 02 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0100https://media.journoportfolio.com/users/520164/uploads/b3f29826-e9a3-4660-bc62-725e05d61260.pdfhttps://media.journoportfolio.com/users/520164/uploads/53198b5b-1e86-438b-b44d-f6a6a7cf9ef5.pdfDederer asserts that society cannot create a one size fits all calculus we can use to determine who is too problematic to support.Wed, 02 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0100https://media.journoportfolio.com/users/520164/uploads/53198b5b-1e86-438b-b44d-f6a6a7cf9ef5.pdfhttps://media.journoportfolio.com/users/520164/uploads/60f040da-9111-4bbe-812a-c01401e68c98.pdfCommitted to culture change, SaskCentral went on a five-year journey to become an award-winning, nationally-recognized banker and an employer of choice.Mon, 31 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0100https://media.journoportfolio.com/users/520164/uploads/60f040da-9111-4bbe-812a-c01401e68c98.pdfhttps://media.journoportfolio.com/users/520164/uploads/2ac5519f-42f7-4467-b5c5-869d63c23f61.pdfLeaders in certain professions may spend more time taking care of others than themselves. How can we help them avoid burnout?Mon, 31 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0100https://media.journoportfolio.com/users/520164/uploads/2ac5519f-42f7-4467-b5c5-869d63c23f61.pdfhttps://media.journoportfolio.com/users/520164/uploads/ab5b3c31-3d73-4eec-ad92-292e7d35b1d8.pdfCase study published in T+D Magazine focusing on leadership transformation at an Australian beverage distributor.Thu, 27 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0100https://media.journoportfolio.com/users/520164/uploads/ab5b3c31-3d73-4eec-ad92-292e7d35b1d8.pdfhttps://media.journoportfolio.com/users/520164/uploads/5c260c5d-5ca6-434b-9700-7271a9ac4488.pdfCritical evaluation of portrayals of American poverty in film, including the documentary Hillbilly, Oscar-winner Nomadland, and the adaptation of Hillbilly Elegy. Published in The Ryder Magazine.Thu, 27 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0100https://media.journoportfolio.com/users/520164/uploads/5c260c5d-5ca6-434b-9700-7271a9ac4488.pdfhttps://media.journoportfolio.com/users/520164/uploads/2ac5519f-42f7-4467-b5c5-869d63c23f61.pdfThu, 27 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0100https://media.journoportfolio.com/users/520164/uploads/2ac5519f-42f7-4467-b5c5-869d63c23f61.pdfhttps://media.journoportfolio.com/users/520164/uploads/5ccf98eb-1777-4334-8f32-87690befcf17.pdfExamines three popular entertainments, The White Lotus, The Menu, and Triangle of Sadness, and their portrayals of wealth and privilege. Published in the Ryder and recognized by the Indiana Society of Professional Journalists for the top prize in Arts and Entertainment writing.Thu, 27 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0100https://media.journoportfolio.com/users/520164/uploads/5ccf98eb-1777-4334-8f32-87690befcf17.pdfhttps://www.popmatters.com/james-spooner-afropunk-interviewJames Spooner is best known for his documentary film Afropunk and the festival that followed its breakout. When he decided to make the film, he began with a MacBook, a camera, and a vision. The film became a festival, and that festival became a phenomenon. Seeing the corporate takeover of his original vision, Spooner chose to step away from Afro Punk when it lost its DIY ethos.In It Starts with Anger, Spooner continues the powerful journey he started in his graphic novel The High Desert, picking...Mon, 03 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0100https://www.popmatters.com/james-spooner-afropunk-interviewhttps://www.popmatters.com/sweet-pill-interview-2026Many bands experience growing pains when creating the Difficult Second Record. Still, that’s cold comfort when you are in the middle of it. Just ask Zayna Youssef and her bandmates in Sweet Pill. After generating significant buzz from their debut, 2022’s Where the Heart Is, playing festivals like Best Friends Forever and opening for emo institutions like La Dispute, Philadelphia’s Sweet Pill went through it in creating their latest, There’s Still a Glow, especially lead singer and lyricist Youss...Mon, 30 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0100https://www.popmatters.com/sweet-pill-interview-2026https://www.popmatters.com/touche-amore-stage-four-atrIn 2013, my unborn son was diagnosed with Down syndrome, and at one point, we were unsure he would even be born due to a hygroma. When his mother and I went to the ultrasound that we expected to confirm our expectations that we were having a daughter, and were instead confronted with this news, we were thrown into upheaval. I was angry that I had tried to put faith in a higher power. I was angry at being told to sit tight and wait, and I was terrified.  It was during this time that I found Touch...Wed, 11 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000https://www.popmatters.com/touche-amore-stage-four-atrhttps://www.popmatters.com/guided-by-voices-robert-pollard-26The world of Guided by Voices is a kaleidoscope—fragments of melody, flashes of surreal imagery, and a dizzying number of songs tumbling out year after year, including 14 records this decade alone.Robert Pollard has built a universe so vast and so alive that even longtime fans struggle to keep up, yet the music never loses its spark. While other 1990s indie rock greats imploded or took extended breaks, Pollard took his iconic “Don’t Stop Now” to heart, barreling forward, evolving their sound, bu...Tue, 27 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0000https://www.popmatters.com/guided-by-voices-robert-pollard-26https://www.popmatters.com/constantines-tournament-atrConstantines are Canadian, but they understand the death of the American Dream, with their quiet, dignified stories of working-class struggles. Tournament of Hearts is their under-heralded masterpiece.Mon, 15 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0100https://www.popmatters.com/constantines-tournament-atr